Monaghan 'have tools to ask questions of Donegal'

Conor McManus in action against Donegal's Ryan McHugh during his playing days

Former talismanic Monaghan forward Conor McManus, who called time on his inter-county career in January, says the Farney county "have the tools to ask questions" of Donegal in the Ulster SFC quarter-final meeting between the sides on 20 April.

McManus, now a pundit with BBC Sport NI, told The GAA Social podcast that it would, however, be "a big ask and a big task" for Monaghan to overcome Jim McGuinness's side at Clones in their last-eight encounter.

Gabriel Bannigan's team topped the Division Two standings in the Football League and defeated Roscommon in the divisional final.

"It would be a great one to be getting ready for as a player. I know the Monaghan lads will be looking forward to it," reflected McManus after watching Donegal overcome Derry in the preliminary round.

"They're coming into it with confidence from the league campaign they've had but they're also coming up against probably the form team in the country.

"Donegal were the best team in the league in the first three or four games [of the Football League], then they switched things around and got ready for Derry [in the Ulster SFC] so you couldn't read into their late league form.

"They are the best team in the country at the moment on form, while Monaghan have probably been playing lower standard teams in Division Two, so this is the best team they will have played in a long time."

McManus expects a competitive and entertaining game, one in which both sides go into with plenty of incentive.

"I do expect it to be a decent game. Monaghan have a decent record against Donegal over the years but I'm fairly sure that that's something Donegal and Jim McGuinness will be homing in on, this record that's so well talked about. They'll want to put that right.

"Everything will have to go right for Monaghan to win. On looking at Donegal against Derry they weren't perfect, they were far from perfect.

"Derry got through them quite easily early doors in the first 15 or 20 minutes and they won their penalty, they got their goal, they fisted over a couple of points so they got a couple of easy scores that you wouldn't think you would necessarily get against this Donegal team, but they did.

"So, they're going into this game [against Monaghan] with something to work on, which I suppose is a positive for Jim McGuinness and his team."